Mail-pouch rack with expansible grip.



V. WILLOUGHBY.

MAIL POUCH RACK WITH EXPANSIBLE GRiP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2,1914- Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

1 N VEN TOR ZiciorWlZouy/z@ WITNESSES:

mt: COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

' V. WILLOUGHBY.

MAIL POUCH RACK WITH EXPANSIBLE GRIP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1914.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTOR N E Y THE COLUMBIA PLANOGEAPH $0,, WASHINGTON D. c.

VICTOR-VTILLQUGHEY, 0F JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN CAR AND FOUNDRY. COMPANY, 01" ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CUREORATIGN OF NEW JERSEY.

Application filed September 2, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Vroron WILLOUGHBY, residing at Jetlfersonville, Clark county, Indiana, and being a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVlail-Pouch Racks with Expansible Grips, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and to use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be un derstood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof will occur to persons skilled in the art. a

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a plan View of the improved mail pouch rack, different positions of members forming parts of the expansible grips being shown in dot and dash lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device, intermediate and end portions, respectively,of the standards and a pair of section-connecting crosses being broken away. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of said rack. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one section of the rack, a pouch being shown as held in place by one of the unit racks. Fig. 5 is a transverse view of one of the rack sections, partly shown in section, and further discloses the manner of supporting a pouch. Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view, illustrating the preferred means for connecting certain elements of the rack, including one of the standards. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is atransverse view thereof, partly in section; and, Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a modified and preferred form of means for connecting those rack sections which are not secured to the standards.

, Except for highly developed organizatior and perfected equipment, modern postal systems would be reduced to a chaotic state, quite incapable of handling the vast quantities of mail matter presented to traverse their arteries and ramifications.

With a view to contributing to the efliciency of such systems, the present invention has been developed, and pertains to mail Specification of Letters Patent.

IVIAIL-POUGH RACK WITH EXPANSIBLE GRIP.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

serial No. 859,886.

pouch racks designed to occupy a minimum amount of space and to permit the utilization of substantially all of it.

An aimis to provide a multiple rack comprising grouped unit racks connected to a frame to have a common non-interfering support, each unit rack being independent of the others and arranged to be used with equal facility.

Another object is to provide each unit rack with an expansible grip adapted to be adjusted to the mouth or opening of any of a number of different sized pouches, which grip may be quickly and expeditiously rendered efii'ective, or likewise releasable, when the pouch has received its allotted contents.

An important advantage lies in being able to construct the rack nearly or entirely from commercial products, purchasable in the open market, and adapted to be assembled with very little preliminary shop treatment, the parts being interchangeable and easily repaired or substituted.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a forward standard and 2 a rear standard, the latter being taller than the former, and both preferably being ordinary tubes or pipes. Bases for said standards each comprises a four-way T fitting 3, screwed or otherwise secured to the lower end of its respective standard, 1 or 2, oppositely directed transversely disposed tubes or pipe lengths t, threaded onto the outer ends of which are elbows 5, plugs 6, if desired, being inserted into the downwardly extending portions of said elbows.

Where conditions make it desirable, threaded nipples may replace plugs 6 and be screwed into floor-plates, the rack being thus anchored tothe floor. hand, casters may be substituted for plugs 6, allowing the rack to be easily moved to any desired location. But the use of plugs 6 is most approved, as a rack supplied with them will better remain where placed than when casters are used, but may be changed in location at will.

Bases of standards 1 and 2 are connected by the tie member 11, shown as a tube which is screwed into the four-way "PS 3 of each standard base, and the upper portions of standards 1 and 2 are bent or inclined and have secured to upper extremities fittings 9n the other which may be the pipe Ts 7, but preferably are the cast connection fittings, one of which is shown in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, pipe Ts 7 connect the top frame or multiple rack 8 tothe standards 1 and 2, said multiple rack comprising a series of twin sections 9 of unit racks 10. Extending along the longitudinal median line of multiple rack 8 is a supporting or backbone member common to the multiplerack 8 and all of unit racks 10, .and forming the inner side of each of the latter. Said central or backbone member comprises end fittings, as PS 12, in alinement with the outer sides of the end unit racks 9, crosses 13, alined with the inner sides of said end unit'racks and with both sides of the intermediate racks 9, the Ts 7 which connect the multiple rack 8 to standards 1 and 2 and tubes or pipes 14 and nipples 15 which connect the crosses or fittings together. One nipple 15 is shown in Fig. 2, where a pair of adjacent crosses 13 have been broken away to disclose it.

Screwed into or otherwise secured to end Ts 12 and to intermediate crosses 13 the tubes 16, provided at their outer ends with removable caps 17, each of which may be threaded onto one of the transverse tubes. Telescopically mounted within pairs of transverse tubes 16 are the side arms of a substantially U-shaped pouch-engaging tube or bar 18.

In assembling, caps 17 are slipped onto the side arms of slidable tube or bar 18, and the free ends of said arms are upset to prevent the withdrawal of caps 17. Side arms of tube or bar 18 are then inserted into the transverse tubes 16, whereupon caps 17 are screwed onto the ends of said transverse tubesc As shown in Fig. 5, the side arms of tube or bar 18 are notched, as at 19, the spacing of the notches being such as to cause the expansible grip for the notches to be regulated in accordance with standard dimensions of the pouch openings. The upset free ends of sliding tubes or members 18 cannot pass through caps 17, now fixed to the ends of transverse tubes 16, but each member 18 may be slid to any one of its notched positions, and the notches on the.

side arms will be caused by gravity to engage with the edges of the apertures through which said arms pass, retaining said tube or member in the position to which it is pulled. A To return said sliding tube or member 18 to its original or any other of its accentuated positions, it is simply raised sufliciently to disengage it from caps 17, when it may be moved inwardly or outwardly.

within the limits of its possible travel.

V At any convenient points, but preferably to the undersides of the end Ts 12 and} crosses 13- of the central supporting member bers 18 to support pouches.

or backbone, are secured double holding clips 20, adapted to cotiperate with the outer and intermediate portions of tubes or mem- Said outer portions, which parallel the central supporting member, are brought into substantially thesame horizontal-plane as the pouch supporting prongs of clips 20 by the downward and outward bending of the side arms of said members 18.

The top frame or multiple'rack 8 is inclined upwardly asit proceeds rearwardly, so that label holders may be secured to each unit rack 10, and clearly discerned from the front of the complete rack structure. Obviously, the rack may be caused to incline in other directions when it is preferable for it to do so. I

As stated hereinbefore, crosses 13 and the Ts 7 which connect the standard and multiple rack do not constitute the preferred forms of connecting means in the central supporting member of said multiple rack. For joiningthe multiple rack 8 to standards 1 and 2, I prefer to employ castings like that shown at 21 in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive. 7 V l I Said casting is the equivalent of a pair of crosses and a T fitting, and occupies less space than the corresponding fittings shown in Figs. 1 to 5, makes a firmer and moTereliable joint and connects pipes 14 of the Aside from the'improved qualities menn tioned, the chief difference between the standard fittings 7 and 13 and the casting 21 is the locating of the standard between adjacent racks,.which is a more desirable po-, sition' than it occupiesin the first described form. Castings 21 arealso formed to have improved clip-attaching surfaces on the under faces of bosses 22. r

Casting 28, shown in Fig. 9, is the equiv alent of a pair of crosses such as are shown in Figs. 1 to 4, and is adapted to; connect those adjacent rack sections which ,arenot connected to either standard 1 or 2. Said casting 23: constitutes the preferred connec tion means for such sections, and has-the same advantages as casting 21, except with regard to the positioning of the standards,

it having no association with the latter.

The tubular members 1, 2, 14 and 16, in addition to being screwed into castings 21 or 23 ing required to fill a pouch A, its draw string B is loosened and its mouth opened, a portion of the edge of the material defining the mouth or openin being slipped over the hook ends of clips 20 associated with the unit raclr from which the pouch is to be suspended. The Ushaped pouch-engaging members 18 being fully telescoped Within the transverse tubes 16 of said unit rack,

that portion of the edge of the pouch opening opposite the portion between the engaging clips 20 is drawn over the depressed portion of said slidable poiil1-engagir1g member 18, and said. member is pulled outwardly to the capacity of the mouth of the pouch A. Upon reaching the limit of said mouth, the, predeterminedly spaced notches 19 in the side arms of members 18 engage the caps 15, as previously set forth, and the pouch is firmly held in place, the material thereof surrounding said mouth lapping the book ends of clips 20 and the outer edge of member 18. After the pouch receives its assigned contents, member 18 is slightly raised and pushed inwardly, and the pouch is released from said unit rack, and the draw-string B is pulled to close the pouch opening, after Which the string is fastened or tied. In Fig. 1, different positions of the member 18 are shown, such variance allowing each unit rack to accommodate pouches of different capacities With their consequent various sized openings or mouths.

It is manifest that I have devised a mail pouch rack, having a light skeleton frame, which may be composed either of tubes or piping of commercial character, connected preferably by the special castings de scribed, or by ordinary pipe or tube fittings, or the equivalents of either. It is also clear that many of the parts may be constructed of structural shapes instead of tubes.

The operation is simple, consumes a negligible amount of time and there is little opportunity for the parts to become broken or deranged. The rack is not costly, and may be made in various sizes from a single unit rack, or a single tvvin section, to a multiple rack of any desired dimensions, and each unit rack is adapted to accommodate pouches of varying sizes.

What I claim is 1. In a device of the class described, av supporting frame, and a multiple rack se-' cured thereto and comprising a series of connected unit racks, each of the latter its opening distended.

2. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame, a multlple rack carried thereby and comprising a series of unit racks, said multiple rack having a central supporting member attached to said fram and forming one side of each unit rack, and

expansible pouch-gripping means in each of the latter adapted to hold the pouch With its opening distended.

3. In a device of the class described, a

supporting frame, a multiple rack carried thereby and comprising a central supporting member and a series of connected rack sections each containing oppositely extending unit racks, said central supporting member forming part of each of said unit racks, and expansible pouch-gripping means in each of the latter adapted to hold a pouch With its opening distended.

4:. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame, an inclined multiple rack carried thereby and comprising a central supporting member and a series of connected twin sections of unit racks symmetrically disposed each side of said central member, and expansible pouch-gripping means in each unit rack adapted to hold the pouch with its opening distended.

In a device of the class described, a supporting frame, a multiple rack carried thereby and comprising a common supporting member and a series of unit racks mounted thereon, and eXpansible pouchgripping means for each unit rack comprising fixed holding members and a movable member forming part of said unit rack.

6. In a device of the class described, a multiple rack comprising sections of unit racks, a central supporting member in said multiple rack common to each unit rack and comprising a plurality of segments con nected by fittings, the latter connecting said unit racks to said central supporting member, means secured to said central member for supporting said multiple rack, and expansible pouch-gripping means for each unit rack adapted to hold a pouch With its opening distended.

7. As an article of manufacture, a tubular supporting frame With laterally extending bases, a tubular multiple rack comprising a central supporting member constructed of segmental tubes and fittings connecting the same, a plurality of unit racks secured to said fittings and extending from opposite sides of said central member, and eXpansible pouch gripping means for each unit rack adapted to hold a pouch With its opening distended.

8. In a device of the class described, a supporting frame comprising tubular forward and rear standards, the latter eXceeding the former in height, each standard being provided With a base comprising a fourway T-fitting, laterally and oppositely extending tubes attached thereto and elbows secured to said tubes, a tubular tie member connecting said four-Way T-fittings and a nultiple rack carried by said supporting frame and comprising a central supporting member, and a series of expansible pouchi being located at the ends of said central member, oppositely extending transverse tubes secured to the transverse extensions of said fittings, slidable pouch-gripping mem bers having spaced arms telescoped Within pairs of said transverse tubes, caps on the ends of the latter preventing the withdrawal of said arms, and double pouch-engaging clips secured to said fittings. v

10. In a device of the class described, a

rack comprising a supporting member and a pair of transverse tubes projecting outwa-rdly therefrom, a U-shaped slidable engaging member the side arms of which are predeterminedly and plurally notched, telescoped within said transverse tubes and upset at their free ends, caps, with openings.

through which said arms slide secured to the outer ends of said transverse tubes and adapted to prevent the withdrawal of said U-shaped member and to cooperate with said notches in the side arms thereof to position said U-shaped member, and pouchholding clips secured to said supporting member, the closed end of said U-shaped member being positioned substantially in the plane of said clips.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

VICTOR WILLOUGHBY. Witnesses:

ALLEN W. CLARKE, C. B. Benson.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. i 

